Beijing is putting pressure on Hong Kong’s political elite to give up their western passports in order to be selected for the Chinese parliament
Beijing is putting pressure on Hong Kong’s political elite to give up their western passports in order to be selected for the Chinese parliament as it tries to stamp out foreign influence and tighten control of the territory. Officials have told politicians and tycoons wishing to represent Hong Kong at China’s top decision-making body to renounce passports or travel documents from countries such as the UK. Reports have emerged that at least one delegate has been denied a parliamentary seat by Beijing because they hold a foreign travel document.
Hong Kong citizens hold Chinese passports but many residents of the former UK colony are eligible for the British National (Overseas) (BNO) travel document and significant numbers also hold Canadian, Australian and US passports. While Beijing had previously said that BNO holders were eligible for China’s National People’s Congress (NPC), it is understood that at least one NPC delegate intending to seek another term was denied a seat because they held a BNO.
Beijing has implemented a “patriots ruling Hong Kong” policy which is an intensive vetting programme for leadership roles in the jurisdiction and also governs elections for Hong Kong’s de facto parliament, the Legislative Council. It is felt that the holding of foreign passports or travel documents could be a security risk.
Members of the NPC, which opened its annual meeting at the weekend, are selected every five years and in December 2022, Beijing chose 36 delegates from Hong Kong making this the first time they have permitted representatives from the territory since the 2019 pro-democracy protests. Since that time, more than 160,000 Hongkongers have applied for British citizenship, with at least 105,200 having already arrived in the UK. The scheme has rankled Beijing, with the Chinese authorities announcing they will not recognise UK passports offered to former Hong Kong residents.
